


You Deserve Better

by Wannabanauthor



Category: Black Panther (2018), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Angst, F/F, Fluff, Friends With Benefits, Post Black Panther, Post Infinity War, unlikely friendship
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-05
Updated: 2018-07-06
Packaged: 2019-06-05 15:02:33
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,081
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15173240
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Wannabanauthor/pseuds/Wannabanauthor
Summary: After the events of Infinity War, Okoye is pushing herself to be a better warrior. Natasha offers her support.Note: Loosely a sequel to my birthday fanfic courtesy of Marvel-ous birthdays: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15130913/chapters/35125619





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I was intrigued by this pairing and decided to see where my muse took me.

With a press of a kimoyo bead, the sand table rose up and formed a punching bag for Okoye. She smiled to herself as she thought of how Shuri had created and programmed it just for her. The princess had been busying herself with a lot of projects. Okoye couldn’t blame her.

Her own nightly ritual of beating the stuffing out of a punching bag was starting to wear on her. Her muscles cried for a break from the abuse, but she couldn’t let up. She needed to be at her best.

She got into position, ready to throw the first punch-

“Are you sure that’s wise after last time?” a husky voice called out.

Inhaling sharply, Okoye dropped her stance and faced the woman she had been avoiding all day.

“It’s none of your concern,” Okoye replied, not letting her eyes linger too long on Natasha’s form. The last time she had done that…things happened.

“I came to see if you were alright after yesterday,” Natasha replied and cocked a hand on her hip, a smirk playing on her lips.

“Why? Interesting in sparring again?” Okoye refocused on the punching bag in front of her.

“Well, it worked out last time. Why not go again?”

The voice was closer this time. Too close.

Okoye spun around, grabbed Natasha by the arm, and flipped her over her shoulder. A whoosh fled from Natasha’s mouth when she landed on the mat, and Okoye cocked an eyebrow. “Come on, you’re better than this.”

Natasha hopped up with ease. “I was distracted.” Her eyes roamed over Okoye’s body much like they had last night.

It was too familiar. Not a feeling she wanted to revisit at the moment.

“I don’t want to spar with you again. Yesterday was yesterday. That’s it,” Okoye said. She couldn’t afford distractions the same way Romanoff could. If she had been a better fighter, general, friend, T’Challa would be here.

“Are you sure?” Natasha asked, now standing farther from Okoye. Within arm’s reach, only just.

Okoye should have said yes. It was on the tip of her tongue. “I don’t know.”

No smirk this time from Natasha. “Let me know when you do. I could use a release, and I’m sure you could too.”

Okoye’s muscles went on strike. They refused to go at another punching bag.

***

Okoye stumbled into her room with Natasha’s lips glued to hers.

Stumbled? She was a graceful warrior. She didn’t stumble.

With a quick press of a kimoyo bead, the door to her room was closed and locked. Then her shirt was pulled off and tossed to the floor. Natasha’s lips trailed a path down to her neck and sucked hard.

Okoye slid her hands through Natasha’s hair and moaned. Desire slithered through her, erasing her doubts of whether this was a good idea. Like Natasha had said, she needed the release.

Minutes later, they were on her bed, naked and clinging to each other. Okoye didn’t keep track of how many times she came that night. She only knew that Natasha didn’t let up until exhaustion lulled them to sleep.

When she awoke, it was still dark out. Natasha was asleep peacefully next to her.

It was still an odd feeling to Okoye to wake up with someone in her bed. Her divorce to W’Kabi had been finalized years ago, yet she hadn’t trusted anyone in her bed since. If her husband could turn so easily without her suspecting him, what did that say about her choice in partners?

What did it say about her?

She had lost two kings. T’Challa nearly twice. Her ex-husband had betrayed his country. Half of their population was gone.

All under her watch.

And here she was in bed with an assassin. An assassin that Ayo didn’t approve of.

That made Okoye smile. She trusted her second-in-command to have good instincts. She only wished that hers were as sharpened.

“I can hear you thinking in my sleep,” Natasha mumbled and rolled over to face Okoye. She rubbed her eyes.

“It’s nothing,” Okoye replied. She stared at the ceiling.

“Do you regret tonight too?” Natasha asked.

“I never said that I regretted that night.”

“I could hear it in your voice, and you tried to avoid me all day. Should I have taken a hint?”

“It would have been best if you did,” Okoye replied honestly. Distractions were how people got hurt. With T’Challa gone, Okoye shouldn’t have taken someone to bed. Especially not an assassin.

“Okoye,” Natasha whispered and took Okoye’s hand in hers.

Okoye refused to look at her. If she did, it’d melt her resolve.

“I’m doing everything I can to bring him back to you, his family, Nakia, and Wakanda. We’ll get him back. We’ll get them all back. I promise,” Natasha said and brushed her lips across Okoye’s knuckles.

“You think I’m not?” Okoye asked and pulled her hand away. She tried to not think about how warm and comforting Natasha’s touch felt.

“I think you need to give yourself a break. None of it was under your control, and there was no way for you to plan for any of it. You did what you could, and all that’s left is to figure out how to move forward.”

It wasn’t what Okoye wanted to hear, but it was what she knew she needed to hear. Natasha’s words held some truth she couldn’t ignore.

“I want to help you, Okoye. Let me.”

Okoye looked into Natasha’s eyes. “Why?”

“You’ve given everything you could for your country. I don’t want it all to be in vain. You’re not the only one seeking redemption or a way to put things right.” The pinch of emotion in Natasha’s voice drew Okoye in.

“That’s it?” Okoye asked softly. “Nothing else?” She wanted more. Natasha was holding back.

“You remind me of myself when I started my Black Widow training, aching to be the best example of my country that I could. Then I ended up with too much blood on my ledger that I couldn’t wash away. I don’t want you going down that path like me. You’re a good person. You deserve better.”

Natasha’s hand made its way to Okoye’s cheek, and Okoye leaned into the touch and kissed Natasha’s palm.

Natasha smiled, the contentedness reaching her eyes. She moved closer, hesitated for a second, then pressed her lips against Okoye’s.

Okoye moaned into her mouth and pulled Natasha on top of her.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some downtime for Okoye and Natasha.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This came out a little more emotional than I planned, but it be like that sometimes. Enjoy!

Morning came all too soon. The sun rose, and for once Okoye wanted to remain in bed. It felt comfortable for the first time in a long time. The hand resting on her ass had absolutely nothing to do with it.

“Instead of stretching and doing your warm up exercises, why not stay in bed?” Natasha murmured.

Okoye’s muscles were too sore for her to skip out on stretching. If she didn’t warm them up, they’d be stiff and achy for the rest of the day.

“No, I have duties to attend to,” Okoye replied and rolled onto her back then sat up.

“You’ve been working so hard. You need a break. Even Shuri said so,” Natasha said and sat up as well. Her blonde hair was sticking out in all directions, there were bags under her eyes, but she looked quite pleased with herself.

“Shuri is neither a Dora nor a general, and neither are you,” Okoye replied and swung her legs over the side of the bed.

Natasha wrapped an arm around Okoye’s naked torso and kissed the side of Okoye’s neck. “Stay, just a little longer.” She pressed her breasts against Okoye’s back. “The Dora Milaje can go without you for one day.”

“I need to train. I can’t let myself get soft,” Okoye said but made no move to get out of bed. She kind of like being held like this. It had been way too long since she had been intimate with someone before she met Natasha.

“Soft can be a good thing.” Natasha turned Okoye’s face towards her and kissed her softly.

“Hmmm?”

Natasha kissed her again. “Yeah, come back to bed, and I’ll show you.” Her hand moved to rest on Okoye’s thigh, fingers inching closer to Okoye’s center.

“Shuri put you up to this, didn’t she?”

Natasha’s hand halted on Okoye’s thigh. “Not specifically. She and Ramonda wanted you to have a day off. Ayo can cover for you. They’re all worried about you.”

Okoye should have taken this moment as an excuse to stay in bed, but she didn’t like being on the outside of things. Especially when it came to her duty on the throne.

She pulled away from Natasha and tried to keep the anger off her face. “I am not a child that needs to be put on time out.”

“No one’s saying that,” Natasha replied. “People care about you. I care about you. You’re pushing yourself too hard, and I don’t want you to get hurt. You’re grieving, Okoye. Take the time off to deal with it.”

A few tears slipped from Okoye’s eyes. “I can’t. Letting my guard down is not an option.” If she had been stronger, faster, smarter, T’Challa would still be here.

“All I’m asking for is one day,” Natasha said.

Okoye faced her. The regret that filled Natasha’s face took Okoye’s breath away.

“When I was an assassin, one of the worst parts of my job was the downtime in between jobs. There’s only so much inventory, exercising, and cleaning your gun that a person can do before their mind wanders. All of a sudden, I was forced to deal with all the horrors I had committed,” Natasha continued. “All the lives I destroyed. The possible future I gave up.” She gestured towards her abdomen. “But it changed me.”

“What are you trying to say?”

“That I get it. I’m not asking you to take a day off because I think you’re weak. I’m asking you to take the day off because you need to process your feelings to move forward. You’re high strung right now, and tense people make mistakes. Give yourself a break and allow yourself to heal. You deserve it.”

Okoye couldn’t fight it anymore. She collapsed back on the bed with a hand covering her face as she tried not to cry. She wasn’t weak. She didn’t need a break. She was better than this.

“You’re strong, Okoye. One of the best warriors I’ve ever met. Rest for today so that you can be even better tomorrow. I’ll be right here with you,” Natasha said and held her hand.

Okoye let herself drift off to sleep. She was so tired. So very tired.

***

“You’ve made me sleep, you’ve brought me food, and you even showered with me. Who are you really, Romanov?” Okoye asked with faux narrowed eyes.

“Someone who could also use a break,” Natasha said and sat down on the bed. “Even with the chaos surrounding us, it’s nice to have some space to breathe. Besides, where else am I going to wake up next to such a beautiful and strong woman?”

“Flatterer,” Okoye said, beaming from ear to ear. Her eyes strayed over to the clock. Half the day was gone, and she hadn’t even left her home. She couldn’t remember the last time she had done that.

“Well, it’s not everyday where I meet another woman who can kick my ass,” Natasha replied with her own grin.

“You should spar with Ayo then. She’d love it,” Okoye suggested, trying to hide a smirk. She was pretty sure Ayo would win that fight, but then again, Natasha might surprise her.

“No, thank you. That’s not a question I need answered. Besides, if you and I continue this thing, it’d be bad form to fight your second-in-command.”

“If?” Okoye asked with a raised eyebrow. It’s not like they had really talked about it, but Natasha’s uncertainty had Okoye’s stomach in knots.

“I can barely get you to take a vacation day. I don’t think rushing into anything will fare much better when it comes to you and me,” Natasha replied.

“Right,” Okoye said. “Does that mean you’re not spending the night?”

Natasha inched closer to her and placed a hand on Okoye’s bare thigh. “I think you need a little more help relaxing, don’t you?” Her fingers stroked the sensitive skin.

Quieting her mind, Okoye grabbed Natasha’s hand and placed it between her legs. “Yes, I could.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next time: Trouble in paradise?

**Author's Note:**

> Interested in more? Let me know.


End file.
